Coli Cases Reported as CDC Investigates Possible Second Outbreak

On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced it has linked these five new cases in Kansas, Oklahoma and North Dakota to customers who ate at Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants in Shawnee, Kansas, and Norman, Oklahoma, between November 14 and November 23.

The development is the latest bad news for Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc., which saw its sales plummet after the emergence of the larger E. coli outbreak that has sickened 53 people in nine states. “Because it is not known if these infections are related to the previously reported outbreak of STEC O26 infections, these illnesses are not being included in the case count for that investigation”.

Chipotle officials have taken action to enhance the company’s food safety program and hired Seattle-based IEH Laboratories to help improve the company’s safety practices, according to a Chipotle press release.

All five people said they ate at a Chipotle in the week before they got sick, according to the CDC.

The CDC said that the United States Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) had conducted an investigation in this outbreak to trace the ingredient which was associated with the illness, however, the agency could not identify a common source of ingredient which was contaminated.

Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said in an email Monday that the chain is in the process of implementing its new food safety programs, which include increased testing of ingredients and training for workers. The spokesperson added that “we expected that we may see additional cases”. The illnesses began on dates ranging from November 18 to November 26.

Most of the illnesses occurred in Washington and OR during October. “We are confident that we can achieve a level of food safety risk that is near zero”.

Chipotle fell 3.6 percent to 521.71 in the stock market Monday, Investors.com reported.

And some analysts have speculated that customers may abandon Chipotle in favor of rival Qdoba, which is owned by Jack in the Box (JACK), as well as other so-called fast casual chains like Panera(PNRA) and Zoe’s Kitchen (ZOES).

A similar outbreak of E. coli illnesses linked to Taco Bell restaurants in 2006 sent same-store sales into negative territory for five straight quarters, Quartz reports.

After being forced to close its doors earlier this year due to an outbreak of E.coli, it seems Chipotle is back in the headlines for an outbreak.